Bulgaria’s Agriculture Workers Protest Low Pay: '1,000 Euros Is Unacceptable'

The agricultural and forestry sectors in Bulgaria staged a protest in front of the Council of Ministers, demanding fair and adequate salaries for employees working in state administrations overseeing agriculture, food safety, environmental, and water control. The demonstration was organized by the National Federation of Agriculture and Forestry within the "Podkrepa" Confederation of Trade Unions.

Anelia Ivanova, one of the organizers, emphasized that civil servants in the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, regional environmental and water inspectorates, the National Agricultural Advisory Service, the Fisheries Agency, and the Forestry and National Parks Agency are performing highly skilled work for salaries close to the minimum. “Most of these employees have higher education and professional qualifications, yet earn less than 1,000 euros per month. On January 1, 2026, this is unacceptable for a European Union member state,” Ivanova said. She stressed that the state budget has sufficient funds to increase salaries and that adjustments can be made between the first and second readings of the 2026 budget to provide fair compensation.

The current salaries for employees in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Environment and Water range between 1,500 and 1,700 leva (approximately 770–880 euros), which protesters argue is insufficient given the complexity and responsibility of their roles. Ivanova called for additional funds totaling 65,226,000 euros to be allocated in the 2026 budget for new individual salaries. She proposed distributing these funds as follows: 14,400,000 euros for the Directorate General for Agriculture and Regional Policy, 15,633,000 euros for the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, 1,043,000 euros for the Executive Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture, 7,900,000 euros for the Executive Agency for Forestry, 250,000 euros for the National Agricultural Advisory Service, and 26,000 euros for the Regional Inspectorates for Environmental Protection.

The protest was carried out peacefully under the slogan “For decent wages for those working in the administrations implementing state policies for sustainable agriculture and food security and environmental and water control,” with participants chanting “Decent wages.” As a symbolic gesture, cups with planted pine trees were displayed, each bearing the name of a parliamentary representative. Pavel Chariyski, deputy chairman of the federation, commented: “If they don’t act, at least they should have planted a pine tree, so something beneficial comes out of them.”

This demonstration follows recent protests by employees from the Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Water in Veliko Tarnovo, who demanded a 20 percent salary increase. The Podkrepa Confederation has organized several similar actions calling for a 20 percent raise across state administrations, including employees of the National Institute of Statistics, the National Social Security Institute, the Employment Agency, the General Labor Inspectorate, and the Social Assistance Agency.

The Medical Federation “Podkrepa” has also announced upcoming protests in front of the National Assembly, advocating for proper income policies for employees in the healthcare sector. The protests underscore widespread dissatisfaction among state administration workers with current remuneration levels and the demand for salaries that reflect their qualifications and responsibilities.